I became interested in cemeteries in 1976 when I was nine years old. There is an old cemetery Smith (Nathan) Family Cemetery behind my parents' house when I was growing up. We made regular visits to the Cemetery to pull weeds at the neglected site and pick up trash in the woods.

I became interested in my family tree in 1988. I found a street with my last name in Chesterfield MO. My ancestors, from Germany, were the first of my family to settle in Chesterfield MO area Bayer-Kroenung Cemetery (the Bayers) and Gumbo Cemetery (the Boisseliers and the Burkhardts. The Burkhardts settled in the area in the 1850s). Chesterfield officials picked names from old platt books, therefore, I have a street named from my family!

RE: Percy Orthwein #9351835You didn't transfer them to me . . .I am just a newspaper junky and found the article. I go everyday to the Library of Congress website and read what happened one hundred years ago. It is an interesting read! Then, I search F-A-G to see if I can match anything up. That's how I found it. Glad to be able to add something that family members may not have know and that other people like me will find interesting.

Percy Orthwein #9351835I enjoy reading old newspaper articles (Library of Congress website) and trying to match the stories and articles to memorials here on F-A-G. I found the wedding announcement for Percy Orthwein and Clara Busch in the New-York Tribune on 11/2/1916. What an affair!!!!

Memorial 11892736 Lena StemmeHi. Is Memorial 11892736 Lena Stemme for St. John's United Church of Christ and Memorial 15584973 Lina Stemme for Armina Lodge Cemetery, the same person? They both have the same exact birth and death dates. Both memorials have pictures of tombstones, but they are different. Both stones show the same dates. The tombstone for St. John's United Church of Christ looks like a newer stone as the tombstone in Armina Lodge Cemetery looks much older.Thanks, Shirley :)

Are we related? "Burkhar(d)t"Hi,Lori,I have been perusing your web site, (need to get my sound fixed on my computer) and from some of the places you mentioned in Germany (Bavaria, Bern, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz) I am wondering if we might be related. My Burkharts came over in the 1700's because of religious persecussion, landed in PA. Many dropped the "d", many had their names misspelled, etc. My relatives went South to Maryland, then East to Tennessee, and Missouri, North to Illinois, then West to Iowa and then took the Oregon Trail to Oregon in 1847.Many of the Burkharts decided to stay along the way; it was my 3gt.grandfather who decided to go all the way to Oregon. As a friend of mine says, "Without he or she, there would be no me." I'd like it if you'd check out my Find A Grave page which shows many of the main families I am a part of. The main ones seem to be Burkhart, Davidson, Taylor, Webb, Warters, Lassiters, etc. I'd be interested in comparing notes, if you aren't too busy. I love your chosen career as we grew up with music before we ever saw TV. Take care and God Bless. With All Sincerity, Kathie L.Webb Blair,Portland,OR

GegenbauerI am a descendant of John and Sophia W Gegenbauer. Thank you for photographing their grave stones. I am trying to learn all I can about them. One Question - the stones are so worn, I can't make out where in Germany they were from. Can you or anyone there figure out the name of the place? Since you are from the Chesterfield area and have ancestry there, I thought you might have other suggestions as to where I could obtain history. Thank you so much for all of your work.